SiriusXM to Broadcast Exclusive Town Hall Event with Original Cast Members of Roots

LeVar Burton, Leslie Uggams, and Louis Gossett, Jr., to sit down with SiriusXM listeners for an intimate, live Q&A session

Hosted by Joe Madison, SiriusXM’s ‘Roots’ Town Hall, commemorates the beginning of Black History Month

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) announced today that original cast members from Roots, the groundbreaking television mini-series, will participate in an upcoming installment of SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series. LeVar Burton, Leslie Uggams, and Louis Gossett, Jr. will sit down for a Q&A session with a select group of SiriusXM listeners at the SiriusXM studios in New York City.

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Hosted by longtime civil rights activist and SiriusXM host Joe Madison, “SiriusXM’s Roots Town Hall” will commemorate the start of Black History Month. Madison is the host of a live, daily call-in show about politics and social activism on SiriusXM’s African-American talk channel, The Power.

“SiriusXM’s Roots Town Hall” will air live Tuesday, February 5 at 2:00 pm on The Power, channel 128. Throughout the hour-long special, Burton, Uggams, and Gossett will take questions from audience members, and reflect on what it was like to break ground as black actors in the 1970s and how their experience compares to working in television today.

The special replays on SiriusXM The Power channel 128 on February 5 at 4:00 pm, 8:00 pm, and 12:00 am; February 8 at 4:00 pm; February 9 at 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 9:00 pm; and Sunday, February 10 at 7:00 am and 10:00 pm and on SiriusXM Stars channel 107 February 9 at 6:00 pm and February 10 at 12:00 pm. All times are ET.

“Roots made television history when it originally aired in 1977, and its cultural impact and influence remain powerful today,” said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM. “We are excited to have members of the original cast of Roots in our studios with a live audience. Joe Madison’s dedication to civil rights and social issues and his ability to put history into context for a wide audience of all people makes him the ideal host for this special event.”

After the broadcast, “SiriusXM’s Roots Town Hall” will be available on SiriusXM On Demand for subscribers listening via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices or online at siriusxm.com. Visit www.siriusxm.com/ondemand for more information.

Check out video clips and learn more about SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series at www.siriusxm.com/townhall.

Joe Madison, “The Black Eagle,” is a human and civil rights activist, abolitionist against slavery in Southern Sudan, television commentator, columnist, lecturer, labor and corporate spokesman, musician and athlete. He is the former executive director of the Detroit NAACP and was later named director of the national NAACP political action department. Madison’s live, daily, call-in show airs weekdays from 6:00 – 10:00 am ET on The Power.

LeVar Burton, Leslie Uggams and Louis Gossett Jr., and Ben Vereen will be appearing in an upcoming episode of Pioneers of Television, PBS’ Emmy ® Award-nominated series that brings to life the stories of television’s most beloved stars. The premiere of “Miniseries,” the final installment of the PBS series “Pioneers of Television,” airs Tuesday, February 5 at 8:00 pm ET (check local listings). For more information, visit www.pbs.org/pioneers-of-television.

About Hassahn Liggins

Hassahn is no stranger to the power of words. Just as Lebron took his talents to South Beach, the Chicago native has taken his talents to Hollywood and beyond. His ability to manipulate the English language has led to a career using his gift. He currently writes songs for TV/Film; he has co-written a book alongside Dr. Kerby T Alvy Ph.D; Hassahn produced and wrote DEMOs documentary film, and of course he scribes for Radio Facts on the daily.